Downtown Fall River will be rocking out this Thursday night at the second annual Block-A-Palooza with headliner Buckwheat Zydeco and the Bay State’s own Americana/country rock act Girls, Guns and Glory.

Presented by the Narrows Center for the Arts, the free outdoor concert will be held in the front of the courthouse on South Main Street facing toward Columbia Street and area restaurants will be set up on the sidewalk selling refreshments, said Norton, Narrows executive director.. "It's a nice event and it's a way to showcase Fall River's downtown. And like all of our shows, it will draw a crowd from outside the city -- we'll be introducing Fall River's downtown to a lot of people," said Patrick Norton.

Always a sold-out concert at the Narrows, Norton said Buckwheat Zydeco is the kind of band people love even if they've never heard them before. A consummate high energy band, Buckwheat Zydeco, with frontman Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural, Jr., brings the party wherever they perform, added Norton.

And over the years, those performances have included Jimmy Fallon's last night on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," the Clinton inauguration, and opening for a who's who of the musical legends including Eric Clapton, U2, The Rolling Stones and even the Boston Pops. "It's going to be a dance party in downtown Fall River," said Norton.

The opening act, Girls, Guns and Glory are on the way to gaining a national following as well, said Norton. With a voice reminiscent of Chris Isaac, Norton said Girls, Guns and Glory' lead singer Ward Hayden's strong vocals drive the sound for the country rock band.

Though it’s free to the public, Norton said the concert costs $12,000, and was brought to the community through sponsorships from People Incorporated, Bank Five, Bristol County Savings Bank and Bay Coast Bank. “Bob Canuel at People Incorporated was the driving force in getting the sponsors,” said Norton of People Incorporated’s executive director and CEO.

The second annual Block-a-Palooza will be held in front of the Fall River District Courthouse, 186 South Main St. on Thursday, July 17 from 6 to 10 p.m.